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Sculpting Creatures and Critters

Bringing Your Ideas to Life in Clay

Bestselling

4.5
(53 ratings)

Instead of using a simple lifetime average, Udemy calculates a course's star rating by considering a number of different factors such as the number of ratings, the age of ratings, and the likelihood of fraudulent ratings.

Have you ever wanted to bring your ideas to life in clay but weren’t sure where to start? This class will give you the skills needed to start creating your own original sculptures using Super Sculpey. We will start from the ground up, beginning with concept creation moving into armatures, building up clay, creating detail and texture, and finally, painting. At the end of the class, you will have a completed sculpture of your own.

Students will need to purchase materials in order to complete this class. Materials list and recommended buying locations will be provided.

Previous sculpting experience is not necessary. However, at least some working knowledge of art basics (form, shape, color theory, etc.) as well as basic drawing skills are highly recommended.

Who is the target audience?

Anyone interested in learning the process of creating an original sculpture.

Beginning sculptors looking to expand their artistic skill set.

Recommended for artists age 10 years and up.

Character designers with an interest of realizing their creations in three dimensions.

Before getting started on your sculpture, we first need to go over the materials that you will need. Most items are readily available at your local art or craft store. If you have trouble finding any of the necessary items, refer to the shop suggestions list to get some help. Download the materials list for a handy reference to take with you while shopping.

Where do we get ideas? This video will discuss inspiration, making use of reference materials, and starting out with some basic concept art before moving on to sculpting.

Sources of Inspiration

03:48

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Sculpt: Time To Get Ready!

2 Lectures
01:04

Gather Your References

00:53

Share Your References And Ideas!

00:10

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Watch: Armatures

6 Lectures
36:13

This video will cover the necessary materials for creating your armature. We will then cover how to create a layout on paper that will help you keep accurate proportions when working with the wire.

Materials and Planning

03:35

This is the basic armature creation method. We will implement wire twisting and wrapping, which requires minimal tool use. It is a great method for quick and stable armatures.

Building Your Armature

10:03

If you have a larger sculpture that you want to create or one that is dynamically posed, you will want to create a stronger armature using this advanced method. Here, we will make use of heavy gauge armature wire for the main structure.

Advanced Armatures

06:37

Dynamic poses make a sculpture interesting to look at. Learn how to get rid of boring poses and add interest through movement.

Mass can be added to your armature through the use of aluminum foil. Learn how to use this technique as well as how to reinforce dynamic poses with an amazing clay called Apoxie Sculpt.

Using Foil and Apoxie Sculpt

06:39

Wire mesh can be used to create membranes for dragon wings, as will be demonstrated in this video. This technique can be used for other thin materials like capes and flowing fabric.

Wire Mesh for Wings

06:10

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Sculpt: Build Your Own Armature!

5 Lectures
05:15

Plan!

00:37

Build!

01:28

Pose and Reinforce!

02:08

Add Wings! (Optional)

00:55

Share Your Armature!

00:06

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Watch: Building Form with Clay

5 Lectures
29:09

Let's start putting some clay onto the armature! In this video, we will quickly build up form to get a fully roughed in sculpture that shows basic proportion, anatomy, and posing.

Blocking Out with Clay

05:38

This lesson will discuss additive and subtractive methods of sculpting as well as different ways to smooth out your blocked-out sculpture.

Sculpting and Smoothing

04:16

With a now smooth sculpture, it's time to start adding anatomical details. This video shows techniques for adding muscle definition and hints of skeletal structure. It also demonstrates how to create basic fingers and toes.

Sculpting Anatomy - Dragon

07:48

Some different techniques will be shown here including sculpting paw detail, working with guide lines, and adding major facial features.

Sculpting Anatomy - Gryphon

04:51

Before getting into fine detail, we want to add in secondary forms. These are any large or prominent features that weren't included during the blocking out of the sculpture. In this demonstration, that will include the dragon's wing membranes as well as large chest scales.

Secondary Forms

06:36

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Sculpt: Let's Start Sculpting!

4 Lectures
04:00

Block Out With Clay!

01:18

Smoothing and Anatomy!

01:16

Add Secondary Features!

01:19

Share Your Blocked Out Sculpture!

00:06

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Watch: Detailing and Texturing

6 Lectures
39:07

Some different techniques will be shown here including sculpting the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Detailing the Face

07:34

This video will cover how to create horns by using pre-baked pieces of Sculpey. It will also cover various methods of creating realistic fur textures.

Sculpting Horns and Fur

08:17

We will discuss adding pre-baked claws to the hands, adding tendon detail, and adding small accent scales.

Detailing the Hands

05:37

We will now define the wing fingers, add some wrinkles to the wing membranes, and sculpt some light tattering along the edges of the wing.

Detailing Dragon Wings

05:07

This video tackles the complex bird wing by breaking it down into segments and demonstrating how to sculpt feathers.

Detailing Bird Wings

08:00

Adding sculpted elements to the base of your sculpture can help tell a story about your character. In this video, I demonstrate how to quickly sculpt realistic rocks for the base of your sculpture.

I have been sculpting animals and creatures since 2001. In my decade-plus of experience, I have worked with a variety of sculpting media including polymer clays, wax, oil based clay, epoxy clays, and foam. I am also well versed in molding and casting.

From 2006-2012, I taught fine art for the 3D animation program at Full Sail University. I specialized in sculpting, but also taught life drawing, color theory, and concept art. I was involved in curriculum development as well as lecturing, class critique, evaluation, and practical lab work.

In 2013, I self published my first book, Creature Sculpt. This is a 200 page fully illustrated book that teaches the beginning and novice sculptor how to get started with their own original clay creations. In September 2014, Creature Sculpt will be republished as Fantasy Creatures in Clay by Impact Books. This newly designed and edited book will be available from major book retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.